Dawn Patrol recreates the thrilling dogfights and air battles fought during The Great War. Each player controls an airplane in a fiery test of his or her skill and nerve. (32 pages of rules and 32 pages of charts, but none too difficult.)

There is a role-playing element to the game, as if a pilot survives a mission, the next time a player flies the same aircraft, the player may use that now experienced pilot, who has some advantages over rookie pilots. These advantages grow if the pilot survives more missions and claims more kills.